    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2004, Book III)]
    [November 2, 2004]
    [Pages 2935-2936]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks to Campaign Volunteers and an Exchange With Reporters in
    Columbus, Ohio
    November 2, 2004

        The President. Thank you all for doing this. Listen, we've come to
    thank our volunteers here in Ohio. They represent thousands of people
    all across the country who are making the calls and turning out the
    vote. I have been uplifted by the fact that thousands of people are
    working on my behalf and the fact that thousands pray for me and
    Laura and our country.
        One of the best ways to help send a signal about how appreciative I
    am is to come and thank people in person. Obviously, Ohio is an
    important State. It's a State that we intend to carry. I know we've got
    a lot of work to do. There's a lot of people, as you can tell, in this
    building, working hard in Columbus, and they're working hard all across
    the State of Ohio. So this is an exciting time. The polls will be
    closing in 5 or 6 hours--however long it is. [Laughter] And I'm
    confident we'll carry Ohio, and I'm confident we'll carry the Nation.
    And I look forward to leading this Nation for 4 more years. I'm running
    because I've got more to do, more to--more work to be done to keep this
    country secure, more work to be done to make sure prosperity reaches
    every corner of the land.
        I want to thank all our supporters here in Ohio for their hard work.

    Legal Issues

        Q. Are you getting updates on legal wrangling out there on the
    plain?
        The President. No, I really haven't. Call my lawyer. [Laughter]

    Turnout for the 2004 Election

        Q. Sir, does a big turnout help both sides, and should it?
        The President. Listen, I am for a turnout as big as possible. I
    believe everybody should vote. We have a duty in this country to vote. I
    hope every citizen in Ohio and elsewhere does their duty. And I think
    it's--and I think we'll have a good turnout, and I will be grateful if
    there's a big turnout. I think it's good for our system.

    Election Outcome

        Q. Is it going to be a divided country, no matter what happens, if
    it's a close election?
        The President. Oh, you know, I was asked that question by another
    one of the pundits earlier, trying to guess about the outcome of the
    election. You need to talk to the experts. I can just tell you what I've
    seen. I've seen enthusiasm, a willingness for people to put in extra
    hours of work. And we'll find out how it goes tonight. This election is
    in the best of hands: It's in the hands of the voters of Ohio and voters
    all around the country.
        Q. Sir, you may think you're no pundit, but you've clearly paid
    pretty close attention. Give us a sense of how involved you are in
    tracking the numbers and voter turnout and----
        The President. Well, David [David Gregory, NBC News], since I last
    talked to you, which was outside the voting booth in Crawford--
    [laughter]--which was a couple of hours ago, I've had a couple of cups
    of coffee. I spent some quality time with my wife. I am going to run
    this race out

    [[Page 2936]]

    to its fullest. I will be able to--both of us will be able to say that
    we campaigned as hard as we possibly could. I have made the differences
    as clear as possible about why I think I am the best leader for the
    country for the next 4 years. You know, we'll find out tonight what the
    American people think, and I'm looking forward to it.
        Thank you all.

    Note: The President spoke at 11:42 a.m. at the Ohio Bush-Cheney '04
    campaign headquarters. A tape was not available for verification of the
    content of these remarks.